


Dead But Not Forgotten

by BlueberriesV



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angry Lucifer, Canon Universe, Case Fic, Castiel in a Female Vessel, Drama, Episode: s12e10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets, Episode: s12e22 Who We Are, Episode: s12e23 All Along the Watchtower, F/M, Hurt Castiel, M/M, Mystery, Revenge, Romance, Season/Series 12, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-12 15:56:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11165175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueberriesV/pseuds/BlueberriesV
Summary: Enraged at Castiel for snatching his unborn child, Lucifer decides to deal with the nuisance after escaping hell. That means traveling back to 1901 to dispose of Castiel before he even comes in contact with the irksome Winchesters and becomes a problem.





	1. The Intervention

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

**1901**

“Castiel.”

Castiel turned around, planting her blue eyes on Ishim, who was leaning against a tree. They had just completed their mission of successfully disposing the nephilim. Castiel was glad to be of use, especially here on Earth. It was always a nice change from heaven.

“Do you really have to leave so soon?” Ishim said, before looking to Mirabel and motioning his hand towards her. “Stay here for a moment, we should all talk. It’s been awhile since we’ve last seen you, Castiel. I’m sure there are plenty of things to conversate about.”

Though the words sounded inviting, Ishim expressed it indifferently, his face wooden as he regarded Castiel. Castiel glimpsed at Mirabel and Benjamin, who were both staring at her dully. Castiel tilted her head, silent for a thoughtful moment, before shaking her head.

“I have to return to heaven.” Castiel stated, blue eyes narrowing when Ishim scoffed mockingly. “There are many missions in heaven that need to be completed.”

“Always a strong soldier of heaven, aren’t you? I shouldn’t have expected less of you.” Castiel squinted her eyes, confused with Ishim’s sneering words. Ishim smiled scornfully at Castiel before saying, “How long has it been since you’ve been down on Earth anyways?”

“About two thousand years.”

Castiel replied as she wracked her brain for more information. It’s been a long time since Castiel has thought of her time on Earth. She’d been down here on Earth, not in North America but on the continent of Africa. Castiel was in Israel during her stay on Earth.

It was where she received her first vessel, who was of the male sex. Her vessel had blue eyes and black hair as well but he was slightly more tan than the current vessel Castiel is in. However since Castiel has returned to heaven, she hasn’t had any more orders to come down to Earth. Castiel was slightly disappointed since Earth was a slightly more exciting change than the orderly, perfect domain of heaven.

“Since then, I’ve been watching humanity from a distance in heaven. Their development since then has been fascinating to observe."

The response Castiel received from her answer were mixed. Ishim only laughed loudly, both with amusement and insult. Mirabel stood there stiffly, cold eyes studying her. Benjamin only rolled her dark eyes, exasperated, before scowling at Castiel.

“Why watch?” Ishim started, malicious grin growing wider. “When you can experience humanity up close and personal.” Castiel frowned, scrutinizing bemused Ishim. Everything that Ishim had spouted out of his mouth only furthered mystified and irritated Castiel.

“I made a promise to my vessel.”

Castiel replied sharply. She may not know a lot about human expressions and gestures but Castiel was certain Ishim was treating her harshly, his actions reeking much of hostility.

“I vowed to her that I would finish using her vessel after a day. She has agreed with my terms after my relentless insistence. Only a day, not a second longer.”

Regardless of Castiel’s stern tone, Ishim did not change his demeanor in any way. Instead, he continued to speak condescendingly to Castiel while Mirabel and Benjamin watched impassively in the distance, his words striking no chords in them, not in the way it was troubling Castiel.

“Vessels are worshippers of heaven. I doubt they’d be bothered if an angel takes their body longer than they agreed. They were probably praying for it in the first place. Humans are beneath us anyways, nothing more than hairless apes.” Ishim claimed with the same coldness that he’s displayed from the beginning.

“Despite your beliefs, I usually keep my promises, regardless of whether it is a pledge under a human or an angel.” Castiel declared gravely. “Humans should be protected and loved, as God has commanded it.”

Castiel respected Ishim but his snide remarks of humans unnerved her, even if she didn’t convey her feelings of discomfort. She kept her face as blank as Mirabel and Benjamin. Castiel should be used to this with the way Uriel spoke of humanity but it still bothered Castiel. It dismayed her to see so many angels speak ill of humans when God has ordered the angels to cherish them.

“I should be going now.”

Castiel announced as she stared at each angel profoundly, even Ishim.

“I am truly humble that I was chosen to serve under your battalion, Ishim. We did an acceptable job of removing the threat of a nephilim.”

She hoped to convey the gratefulness in her gaze as she looked at her siblings. It was most likely they would not see each other as much after this mission since Ishim, Mirabel and Benjamin all cater to issues with humanity while Castiel worked with the army in heaven, participating mostly on fighting heavenly wars.

It was Mirabel who spoke next.

“I hope to see you soon, brother.” Benjamin murmured lowly in agreement. Castiel smiled softly at them, appreciative. Ishim just gazed at Castiel cooly, his critical expression fading. He actually looked pleasant for a moment as he uttered his goodbye.

“I agree with Mirabel. Do come visit us once in awhile.” Castiel stared at Ishim, nodding softly at the words.

She could work something out if heaven permits approval. However, Castiel is rather busy helping heaven everyday. She might not see these faces for many eras.

Solemnly, Castiel looked at them quietly, etching their true faces into her mind. She bowed her head to indicate her farewell.

Castiel began walking out of the forest and out to the street when she heard a grunt of disbelief behind her. Perplexed at the sound, she turned around to find her siblings watching her with confusion. Castiel only stilled, arching an eyebrow at them.

“What are you doing?” Ishim broke the silence, mouth twisting downwards in disapproval. Castiel slant her head, squinting at Ishim, clueless of his question and the angels’ bewilderment.

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you walking away? Wouldn’t it be easier to just leave your vessel from where you are?” Ishim asked, face contorted into a look of objection. Castiel only sighed in reply.

“I believe I should release my vessel in the comfort of her own home.”

Castiel explained, uncaring of the pointed looks drawn her way.

“It would be an unnerving experience if I were to leave her to your disposal, despite the belief that humans are ‘worshippers of heaven.’”

Sarcasm was evident in Castiel’s voice as she quoted what Ishim had said earlier which Ishim picked on quickly. Ishim’s face twitched a bit in aggravation but he did not respond to Castiel’s jab at him.

“Also, my vessel does not live far from here. In fact, she lives 14.543 miles from here.” Castiel explained, as she began to stretch her wings out, preparing for flight. She noticed her siblings eyeing her wings. “I believe it won’t take long if I were to fly there.”

“You picked a vessel not far from here?”

Benjamin asked, eyebrow quirked up in disbelief. At Castiel’s questioning look, Benjamin shook her head briefly.

“Not that I really mind but don’t you think that your vessel’s family and acquaintances will be searching for you. That’s why our vessels are at least a few states awa-”

Benjamin paused before smiling cooly.

“Oh, looks like one of your friends are here right now.”

Castiel narrowed her eyes at Benjamin, tilting her head in confusion when she heard someone shouting in the distance. She turned her head around to find a elderly man dressed in a suit rushing towards her while yelling her vessel’s name.

Castiel whipped her head back towards the angels, bemused, when she heard wings rustling. A millisecond too late since they were no longer standing there, leaving Castiel alone with only the man.

“Lady Anderson.”

The man panted out, his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath.

“Where have you been? Your fiance and family members have been searching for you all day. You disappeared so suddenly.”

Castiel stared at the human blankly, scrutinizing the man as her vessel awakened and started to murmur in recognition at the man. Carrie Anderson, her vessel, began to shift around in discomfort as she attempted to prod and push at Castiel’s being, possibly in effort to take control.

However, Castiel was able to easily place her in a state of unconsciousness before squinting at the man curiously. Her silence appeared to make the man uneasy so Castiel spoke the truth, expecting to put the man at peace.

“There was a mission that needed to be complete.”

In reply, the man blinked, puzzled before opening his mouth and closing it. Repeatedly. There was an uncomfortable stillness from there on.

 

  
Castiel shifted around in her seat, glancing around in interest. This was the first time she traveled the way humans did and least to say, the experience was compelling. They didn’t have carriages or horses in heaven. To move from one place to another, angels usually used their wings as a form of traveling.

After the moment in the woods, Castiel was urged onto the carriage as the gentleman scooted next to her. The sun was starting to disappear from sight as the sky began darkening. The man besides her then began chattering endlessly about her vessel.

Castiel learned a great deal of her vessel, Carrie, including the elderly man’s name which was Robert, who was a servant of the man Carrie was engaged to. James Philip Novak was her vessel’s fiance and Robert only continued talking plenty of both James and Carrie. Castiel attentively listened along for the first minute before quickly growing impatient.

It usually took a second for Castiel to reach a location a thousand miles away but this trip to her vessel’s home was proving to be much longer. Castiel glimpsed out the window, watching how slow it took to pass homes and buildings. She only heard small bits about her vessel from there on and out.

Castiel observed her surroundings, bored, before something managed to catch her attention. It was her vessel’s home and Castiel was relieved. If she had flied, she would’ve been here about twenty minutes earlier than it took to travel here by carriage.

The moment the horse stopped, Castiel opened the door and left the carriage swiftly. Robert hopped out after her and smiled kindly.

“How was the ride, Lady Anderson?” Robert asked politely, as he continued to smile. Castiel frowned at Robert, glancing distastefully at the carriage.

“Slow.” Castiel growled as her eyes narrowed. Robert’s smile became stiff and awkward while the man on the horse stared nervously at Castiel. Uncaringly, Castiel walked up the steps of the house, restless.

Castiel wanted to be out of of her vessel already and return to heaven but she couldn’t do it with the humans around. It was a rule in heaven for angels to be discreet and not to capture the awareness of humans. The only ones who should know is the vessels the angels possess but after they were done with the human, they were required to erase the memories of their bodies being occupied by an angel.

Castiel intended to do just that as soon as as she entered the house. Robert continued to trail behind her and when she reached the front door, he pulled out a key. After he opened the door, he looked at Castiel apologetically.

“Mister Novak will be out of work soon and he has requested for me to pick him up.” Robert eyes Castiel anxiously, staring her up and down. “Will you be fine by yourself?”

“Of course, I can take care of myself.” Castiel stated, eyes squinting at Robert, who seemed hesitant to leave. He glanced at the carriage behind him before nodding in compliance. Robert began reluctantly walking back to the carriage, vocalizing his farewell.

Finally alone, Castiel entered the home, which was utterly dark, making it difficult for Castiel to see so with a wave of her hand, the lights turned on. Walking steadily, she gazed at the costly antiques and paintings disinterestedly.

She found a couch in the dining room and made the decision to leave her vessel there. As Castiel made her way towards the sofa, the lights flickered. Castiel blinked in surprise, before a shudder ran through her body.

Castiel furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. The sensation was new to her and she couldn’t figure out what had caused the reaction. Pausing, Castiel surveyed the room intensely, the house appearing much larger than before with her alone.

The lights shut off again for a few seconds before flashing back on. Castiel tensed, still as she continued to look around more rapidly. She felt an ominous presence the longer she concentrated and the realization that she was no longer alone in her vessel’s home soon struck her.

“Who’s there?” Castiel demanded, as she dropped her angel blade from the sleeve and into her hand. Grasping the weapon tightly, Castiel walked slowly around the house, narrowed eyes studying every detail of the house. It was suddenly cold and Castiel could see her vessel’s breath in the air.

Then, Castiel halted, blue eyes wide as she discern the symbols drawn on the wall of the living room. She started thinking, attempting to gather information on what the sigils might mean. However, the light bulbs shattered only a moment later, causing the house to become shrouded in darkness just as Castiel was observing the drawings.

Now alarmed, Castiel stiffened, whirling around in effort of finding the perpetrator. However, nothing but foreboding darkness surrounded Castiel, despite the inkling that there was a supernatural being in the same building as her.

Breathing in deeply, regardless of the fact that she didn’t need air, Castiel turned towards a lamp. Still rigid, Castiel struck out the hand that didn’t contain her blade and concentrated on turning on the lamp with her grace.

Even with a light source, the house appeared sinister and dark. Castiel had started to swivel her eyes onto the etchings on the wall when she heard a menacing chuckle that sent chills down her spine. Startled, Castiel whipped her attention to the sound origin.

She found herself staring at a doorway where it was pitch black, except for blood red eyes floating mid-air that were looking straight at her. Castiel jerked back in shock because there was only one creature that had eyes like that. One _archangel_.

“Lucifer.” Castiel breathed out, not bothering to conceal the horror drenched in her voice.

“Hello dear brother.”

There was an intimidating grin on Lucifer’s face. Well, his vessel’s face to be exact. His vessel appeared to be white male with blond hair and a decent built while his clothing style was odd to say the least. It was nothing like the garments she saw on humans around here. Lucifer’s vessel didn’t suit him.

Castiel could see Lucifer’s true appearance through his vessel and Lucifer looked as beautiful as he did eons ago. His true form shined so much brighter than all angels in heaven and it nearly blinded her, even though Castiel was certain she can not lose her sight. Lucifer’s wings were so much larger than hers and flared outward confidently.

Despite his alluring looks, Castiel could see the deceit and crookedness that corrupted Lucifer’s entire being. His appearance was a mask that concealed his wicked misdeeds. Lucifer condemned many humans down to hell with his manipulative ways.

“You… You shouldn’t be here.” Castiel croaked. “Lucifer, you’re supposed to be locked away in the cage.”

How was it possible that Lucifer now walked on Earth. It wasn’t possible since the cage was made to contain Lucifer. There was no way that the locks on Lucifer’s cage has broken unless sixty-six seals have been defeated.

Castiel would’ve been made aware if the seals have broken because she was one of the warriors in heaven that dealt with seal interferences.

Lucifer ignored her disbelief and began to make comments on her appearance.

“Nice vessel, Castiel, I notice you have a type.” Lucifer remarked mockingly, as he checked out Castiel from head to bottom vulgarly. Castiel clenched the angel blade closer to her as she glowered dreadfully at Lucifer.

His words didn’t make sense to Castiel. They implied something Castiel was not aware of. Lucifer spoke to Castiel as if he knew her personally and Castiel was certain that she had never associated herself with him. Before he was thrown in the cage, Castiel only observed Lucifer from a distance. Never up close and personal.

She took a step back, studying Lucifer and focused on him intensely. She noted before that his apparel was odd since everyone from this time era dressed so elegantly. Also, the way Lucifer regarded Castiel with such familiarity, it disturbed her.

“You’re not from this age.” Castiel stated dryly, as she continued glaring. She was tense, mentally and physically prepared to attack and defend if Lucifer decided to strike.

“Bingo. It’s the year 2017 and I am lovin’ it.”

Lucifer smirked at Castiel, who narrowed her eyes in reply.

That indicates to Castiel that the seals will soon be broken in the future which was to be expected since Castiel has heard of plans of an apocalypse happening sometime soon. There was talk of Lucifer roaming the Earth so Michael could sweep down and fight him. A match to the death.

However, Castiel did not know her role in the future. It must be significant if Lucifer has traveled back in time to alter fate.

“Why are you here?”

Castiel demanded, face stiff, as she continued to glare at Lucifer.

“There are huge consequences in time and space if you time travel to reshape the past. You should know that.” Lucifer chuckled mirthfully but it only sounded unpleasant to Castiel.

“Why, of course, I’m here because you are very, _very_ infuriating to deal with, Castiel.”

Lucifer smiled coldly, eyes glinting in wrath.

“I want to get rid of the problem before it ever becomes an issue. I’m thinking strategically for once. I’m here to end your life.”

Lucifer snarled, fury suddenly exploding out of nowhere like a fuse and the sight had her wrenching back in trepidation. However, the action did not do much to protect her since with a flick of a finger, Castiel was thrown harshly against the rigid walls. A pained grunt escaped her as she quickly sat up, staring cautiously at Lucifer, weapon in hand.

“What did I do to warrant your rage?”

Lucifer did not answer.

Although her back was slightly injured from the strong impact of slamming into the walls, it could be healed in an instant. Her main worry was with Lucifer. Somehow, Castiel needed to warn her siblings but she didn’t want to provoke Lucifer any further by praying to heaven. Lucifer could end Castiel’s life in a heartbeat but that didn’t mean she wasn’t gonna put up a fight.

Castiel jumped back on her feet and pushed herself forward, hoping that the swiftness of her actions would catch Lucifer off guard. She raised her angel blade and thrusted forward but Lucifer was able to dodge her attack and with his fist, he backhanded Castiel hard and she went flying in the opposite direction.

The angel crumpled to the floor painfully, eyes rolling back in pain. It took a moment to pull herself together but when she did, Castiel picked herself up, swaying as she stood and stared defiantly at Lucifer. She could feel a bruise forming on her vessel’s cheek.

“You know, Castiel, I thought we were pretty close.”

Lucifer started and Castiel frowned suspiciously, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the words.

“I mean, we did share the same body for awhile when you said yes to me. It felt like we were the best buds and I have to admit that I'm aware of every secret and insecurity of yours.”

The archangel started to shake his head in disappointment, staring at Castiel in false sorrow. Castiel’s eyes were wide open in shock because there was certainly no situation in which Castiel would say yes to the devil. The very thought was preposterous. Her look of horror did not go unnoticed by Lucifer, who chuckled.

“Yes, Castiel, you consented and it’s truly a shame since I’m going to have to rip you to shreds now.”

Castiel had to wonder what she did to cause such anger and rage towards her. Lucifer only kept spouting about how infuriating Castiel was and how she was going to die. Castiel only stood firm in reply, face taut in question and suspicion.

“Why not kill me in the present? Why here?”

If Castiel could learn more about the future, there was a possibility she could work something out and escape from this disastrous situation. It also must’ve been more trouble than it was worth to excruciate himself and travel back to 1901 and it would’ve just been easier to just eliminate Castiel from where Lucifer’s current time. Castiel felt curious at the thought.

Lucifer’s face shifted into a dark expression and his smile was sinister. It felt like a ticking bomb that was about to explode in Castiel’s face.

“I’m here because you-”

Lucifer stopped to point at Castiel in accusation.

“You are just a meddling little rat. I’m a forgiving angel and I’m too generous for my own good so I could forget a few blunders, especially since we were so close before. Same body and all.”

Castiel let out a disbelieving scoff. Lucifer was anything but forgiving or generous and his ruthlessness has damned many people and angels to death and more worse, hell. His words were heavily coated with lies.

“But I will not forgive your little deed. _How dare you steal my son from me?”_ Lucifer growled out harshly, as he bared his teeth in anger while glaring daggers into Castiel.

Castiel blinked, silent, not wanting to comprehend what the words implied but she had to consider it. Lucifer has a child and the sound of it was terrifying. Since angels can’t have offspring and breeding isn’t possible unless there was a vessel involve. Not to mention that there is no angel in creation that would want to reproduce with Lucifer.

That must mean that there is a nephilim that exists, Lucifer’s child. Nephilim are very powerful but the devil’s child would be so much worse. There would be huge consequences, as well as tears in the universe from the immense power the nephilim held.

Lucifer continued to rant intensely, eyes narrowed into slits.

“I know what you’re thinking, Castiel. Like I said, I’ve been inside your head so I know everything.” Lucifer smiled, tapping his head to demonstrate his words. “You’re probably wondering reasons why I’m not slaughtering you in the comfort of my own time.”

Castiel stood still, hand twitching when Lucifer took a step closer.

“It’s because of those damn Winchesters. I know that if I were to kill you, they would always swoop in and find a way to bring you back. They really like to pry into other people’s businesses and I could see that you’re no better. I mean- you are the Winchester’s pet.”

Castiel tilt her head, uncertain of how she should reply. But it was fine, seeing as how Lucifer kept going on.

“It’s better to get rid of the problem before it ever exists, don’t you think?”

Lucifer grinned, seemingly proud of his brilliant plan.

“Exterminate your sad existence so that my child could be born into this world. The Winchesters will have no clue. They’ll just continue life as they had before. All without you.”

Lucifer shifted altered his expression into one of false sorrow and Castiel felt anger at his mocking face. Castiel would not let any of it happen, she will find a way to intervene and prevent her death. She refused to let this all happen without a struggle, despite how much more powerful Lucifer was compared to her. This fight will not be in her favor but she can’t accept Lucifer’s plan.

“There might be a few bumps and turns along the way but I’m sure it’ll all work to my favor. I’ll do my best to end up where I am today, with my dear child besides me and it will all be thanks to your disappearance, Castiel. ”

“There is no way you can believe that will work. Somewhere down the road, you will mess up, Lucifer. Heaven will catch news of this and they will take action. I won’t let you corrupt the future with your vile antics.”

Castiel had to try to steer Lucifer off track somehow. It was probably best for her to warn her siblings of Lucifer’s arrival. They will take the necessary measures to fix the error so that this timeline will not go awry and Castiel could follow their orders on how to fight Lucifer.

“God doesn’t care, Castiel.” Lucifer insisted, mouth drawn in a sneer. “Heaven won’t do anything.”

Castiel has heard enough. Taking a step backwards, Castiel scowled at Lucifer, before spreading her wings wide. Perhaps escaping to heaven would be the best option, she could alert them. Castiel was planning to do her best to battle Lucifer but it was a smarter choice to have allies aid her in this fight.

Concentrating, Castiel flapped her wings and tried to locate her siblings. She needed to be quick because she was confident that Lucifer would be likely to pursue her. However, as Castiel tried to fly away, an unknown force seized her and threw her back into the house.

Lucifer had watched all this happen with a knowing smile. Castiel froze, her wings ruffling nervously and she furrowed her eyebrows, staring at Lucifer with a frightened look.

“Sigils. They’re very useful, aren’t they?” Lucifer breathed in deeply, looking euphoric. “I never knew how powerful magic could be until I met that red bitch.”

Castiel flickered her eyes to the symbols on the wall, realizing why it looked so familiar. They were sigils used to hinder the use of flight in angels, essentially they were used to make it more difficult for angels to escape.

She studied the etchings for a moment, before transferring her eyes to Lucifer. She was about to speak but something caught her attention and she became paralyzed, while her eyes went wide with shock.

Lucifer noticed as well and grinned ecstatically.

“Hello sister.”

Castiel didn’t like the realization of what the sudden appearance brought. Atropos stood a few feet from the both of them, grim look on her face. Her book was in her hand but she didn’t move to do anything, instead she continued to stare at Castiel forlornly. She didn’t reply to Lucifer but any glance towards him was one of disgust.

Castiel shook her head in denial. She refused to believe that this was her fate. Her death was not supposed to occur today under any circumstances. Castiel had a mission in heaven and that was to continue for decades.

However, one glimpse at Atropos indicated the end was inevitable.

Castiel stared at Lucifer, his contemptuous smile irritating her, before darting her eyes to Atropos, who radiated feelings of remorse. Castiel took a step back, twitching when Lucifer planted one foot forward in warning as well. She flashed her eyes all over the living room.

One impulsive choice caused her to dash across the room, using her vessel’s legs in a way she never thought she would. Lucifer’s eyes widened in surprise as Castiel bolted up the stairs in desperation. Then, a loud chilling laugh reverberated throughout the house.

Once she was upstairs, Castiel ran towards the room at the end of the hall and opened the door quickly. Then she slammed it shut, locking it even with the knowledge that it was a useless barrier. Inside the room, Castiel casted her blue eyes and searched the room, thoughtful and distressed.

She went to the closet, frantically throwing items around as she fished around but there was nothing.

Castiel had an idea, a plan that she wasn’t sure was going to work but it was either that or fade from existence without any resistance. Not finding anything, Castiel glanced back to the room, eyes wild. She ran to the drawer, movements frenzied and started to open up the chests.

There was a lot of scrambling around from that point on as Castiel assessed each object in the cabinet, eyes squinted pensively. Then, a loud footstep rang out in the air, causing Castiel to stiffen up. Lucifer was walking up the stairs, rather slowly to be exact.

“Castiel.” A voice behind Castiel had her wincing in alarm as she jerked her head behind her. Atropos stood there, frown on her face as she stared sympathetically at Castiel, who only managed to stay silent for a few seconds.

“Lucifer has risen.” Castiel stated solemnly and despite the panic that was running through her veins, she managed to convey a serene facade. “Atropos, you are responsible for the death of humans. I am not mortal, I am an angel of the Lord. For what reason are you here?”

“The vessel you are possessing is human.” Atropos explained. “I am here because I have a job to do but it appears that I can not do anything except to follow Lucifer’s intentions. I can’t control the end I planned for your human when Lucifer is averting destiny from its intended path. Heaven won’t take action against Lucifer.”

Castiel shook her head at Atropos unhappily. This wasn’t suppose to happen. She was meant to return to heaven after her mission on Earth. Atropos sent Castiel a pitying look.

“I will tell you that this isn’t the human’s fate. She wasn’t suppose to disappear like this and neither were you. I’m sorry. There’s nothing that can be done.”

“As you said, this isn’t my fate nor is it my vessel’s. I have faith in my future.” Castiel declared somberly, before turning back to the drawer and looking through its contents. There was a bit of scrambling around but Castiel managed to find an item that intrigued her. She picked it up, staring thoughtfully at the object in her hand.

“Castiel, whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.” Atropos said regretfully. “You can’t stop Lucifer.” Castiel glanced back at Atropos, a stiff expression on her face.

“I have to try.”

With a doubtful stare, Atropos disappeared from Castiel’s sight. Castiel turned her head back to the object that managed to capture her attention.

It was a statue of a bird, well a great horned owl to be more specific. The owl was perched on a branch, wings splayed open as it prepared to fly away. The owl looked pensive and lost in thought as it braced itself to soar. The statue was made of stone while the eyes were blue gems that shimmered brightly.

The footsteps sounded much closer by now, booming in Castiel’s ears while a gleeful shout rang out. He was on the second floor now, moving slowly towards Castiel, causing her to tense. Lucifer seemed to be taking his time, basking in his triumph of being able to outplay Castiel.

“Castiel. Where are you, little angel?” Lucifer crooned playfully.

Castiel furrowed her eyebrows, staring intensively at the statue. She must be quick if she wanted a chance to alter the future Lucifer has arranged for her.

Holding the statue out, Castiel concentrated and it was easy for her to engrave words beneath the slate the owl was attached to. She flipped the statue over, staring at the word she carved into the stoned slate.

_Winchester_

If Lucifer was speaking truthfully of Castiel, then that would mean she would come to be acquainted with the humans known as Winchester. From the way Lucifer was talking, the Winchesters must of cared a lot for Castiel if they mind whether or not she was alive.

It was a risky wager but Castiel had to anticipate that the Winchesters will be able to discern something abnormal in their timeline and take measures to figure out what was wrong. Castiel had to have conviction in these strangers that had a role in her future.

Since Castiel was certain she most likely won’t make it out of this situation alive, she had to take it a step further. It was an extreme course of action but it would be worth it if her fate could be reverted back to her intended path.

Castiel focused intensely on the object, before reaching down to her angel blade. She pulled it out and without an ounce of hesitation, Castiel sliced open her vessel’s throat, grunting in pain as she directed her grace out of the cut. It slipped out easily and she maneuvered half her grace into the owl, watching as the eyes on the owl glowed with her grace.

Then Castiel palmed her throat, using her leftover grace to heal. It was tougher since there was only part of her grace left in her but it had to be done.

Anyone aware of the supernatural would feel the power inside the object and it would make the job easier for the Winchesters to unconsciously recognize the grace in it and possibly proceed to help Castiel come back.

At that moment, the door opened, plowing into the wall loudly. Lucifer walked in and Castiel took a step back, body taut. With a wave of his hand, Castiel suddenly slammed into the wall behind her, a wounded groan escaping her. She dropped both the statue and her blade in the process. She watched in dismay as one of the owl’s wings snapped off the statue and laid there brokenly.

Forced against the wall, Castiel glared at Lucifer who only smiled wickedly. Then, she felt the pressure lessened and she stood there firm.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this.” Lucifer remarked, raising an eyebrow in amusement when Castiel shook her head at the lie.

“No, you’re not,” was all Castiel claimed before she grabbed her angel blade and swiftly rushed to Lucifer as she attempted to stab him.

However, Lucifer gripped her wrist as it was about to make contact with him and twisted. Castiel let out a soft gasp when the bone snapped before moving her leg up to knee Lucifer in the stomach. He let out a grunt and pushed Castiel away.

Castiel stumbled back, hand immediately reaching to touch her broken wrist. She quickly healed herself as she stared boldly at Lucifer, regardless of the dread she felt. Lucifer laughed sharply at Castiel’s willful stare.

“It’s useless, Castiel. Stop resisting.”

Castiel only shook her head in dispute, before attempting to injure Lucifer again. She punched Lucifer in the face, hoping to stun him momentarily. It appeared to work as Lucifer jolted back in surprise.

Then, Castiel plunged the blade inside Lucifer’s stomach, shocked to see she succeeded. However, Lucifer did not light up the way an angel typically did after being stabbed. Instead, the action only seemed to upset Lucifer and he ripped it out his stomach with a sickening, cold smile.

Castiel should’ve known it was futile. The blade couldn’t kill archangels, only lower ranked angels. Not that Castiel ever attempted to eliminate an archangel, that was guaranteeing a death sentence and her sentence had just been signed then.

Lucifer struck out a hand, seizing Castiel’s delicate throat and pushed her against the wall. Castiel froze briefly in shock before she started to struggle against Lucifer, who only shoved his body closer to Castiel to block her from squirming.

He brought her blade closer, studying it attentively before bringing it up to Castiel’s chest. Castiel let out a panicked choke, using her free hand to clutch Lucifer’s arm tightly, trying to pull his hand away.

However, his grip was firm and did not loosened in the slightest.

“Lucifer, don’t.” Castiel implored, eyes wide in terror. “Think about the consequences my death will cause in the universe.”

Castiel’s hold began to tremble, not in fatigue but in horror. She could feel her vessel awakening in confusion and alarm but Castiel couldn’t focus on her, not with their deaths so imminent.

“That doesn’t concern me.” Lucifer smirked in victory.

Eventually, Castiel lost her strength as Lucifer started to put more power into pushing. As Lucifer began to thrust the angel blade into her chest, Castiel’s vessel started to shriek in fright internally, causing Castiel to cry out in terror at the dreadful situation.

Then, with an explosion of light, Castiel was no more.

Lucifer released his grip, watching in triumph as Castiel slid down, horror still evident on her face. Castiel slumped, dead and motionless, with her wings scorched on the wall behind her, along with her true form.

“I win.” Lucifer breathed out in satisfaction, a cruel grin nearly splitting his face.

With one last glance at the lifeless body, Lucifer vanished suddenly, returning to his current time period.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to combine time travel and 1901!Cas together because I enjoyed her in season 12. Using female pronouns for Cas so the readers could imagine Cas more as the female vessel then the current Cas but don't worry he'll be back in chapter 3.
> 
> Hoped you liked this chapter!


	2. The Resolution I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season 12 Finale Spoilers so watch out! Only the beginning is similar to the actual scenes from show but there are some differences. More notes in the end :)

“You’re choosing this.”

Dean stared blankly at Mary and his younger self. She was holding a baked pie that was soon placed on the table. Mary smiled lovingly at the Dean who was seated at the table, eating a sandwich happily and _obliviously_. The naive Dean who was unaware of what the future held.

A shit ton of grief and heartache.

“ _Your favorite._ ” Mary crooned fondly as the younger Dean pumped his fist excitedly. Though, she was quick to shoot down Dean’s enthusiasm. “After you eat.”

Dean walked around the table, eyes narrowed in spite, as he observed his mother kneeling down beside his younger self, gazing tenderly into Dean’s eyes. She smiled softly as Dean stared back attentively, the two of them looking to their mother.

“I only want good things for you, Dean. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you.”

Dean looked at his mother flatly, eyebrows furrowed in contempt. There was a large amount of mixed emotions tugging away in his chest. However, hostility and loathing felt like the ones he was experiencing the most.

“You lied to me. I was a kid.” Dean declared with disbelief, glaring intensely as Mary, who stood up and shielded her face by turning to the sink. “You promised you’d keep me safe. And then you make a deal with Azazel.”

Azazel. It all started with the yellow-eyed demon. The one who took Sammy’s only chance of being normal. Well, as normal as he could be with an avenging hunter as a father. However, John would’ve never turned out the way he did if Azazel had never killed Mary.

The deal that _Mary_ made.

“Yeah, it saved Dad’s life, but I’ll tell you something else that happened.”

Sure, Dean was grateful that Mary saved John’s life. However, Dean wasn’t sure if it was worth the torture and despair that both he and Sam went through because of it.

“Because on November 2, 1983, old Yellow Eyes came waltzing into Sammy’s room because of your deal.” Dean’s voice trembled in misery, as his green eyes watered, mournful. Mary still refused to turn around and Dean could feel his heart clench.

In the distance, Sammy began weeping and Mary straightened up automatically, before moving briskly to the wailing baby. Dean squeezed his fist tightly, as he continued staring intensely at his mother, Mary.

“You left us. Alone. ‘Cause Dad was just a shell.” Dean snapped, watching how Mary smiled softly at Sam’s cooing, unconcerned about the _real_ issues in her life. “His perfect wife? Gone. Our perfect Mom, the perfect family...was gone.”

Dean gazed at Mary bitterly, who continued to caress Sammy fondly, with love and affection in her eyes. It was nothing similar to the way she stared at Dean currently. The amount of warmth in her glance today didn’t come close to the devoted commitment she showed in the past. Dean was nothing but a stranger in her eyes. Nothing like the youthful child she had left.

“And I… I had to be…” Dean faltered when Sam locked his innocent eyes onto his. He couldn’t bear the defeat and failure he felt staring at Sammy. Dean let down his brother and he could feel his ugly emotions tearing his insides, reminding him what a disappointment he was.

“I had to be more than just a brother. I had to be a father and I had to be a mother, to keep him safe.”

What load of good that did.

Despite his efforts, Sam still suffered horribly. Dean did his best to keep Sammy safe, to keep him _alive._ However, that never seemed to be enough and now, Dean was just tired. He was exhausted to the bone from the weight of his duties. He just wanted the _endless_ burden to end.

Mary wouldn’t turn around to face him and that shattered what little patience Dean had. Dean glared furiously at Mary, directing a scowl towards her.

Irritation. Anger. _Disappointment._

“And that wasn’t fair. And I couldn’t do it.”

Dean couldn’t. It was like he was enduring the weight of the world alone. When his mother appeared, it felt like a blessing even though he had long since lost hope in good outcomes. Then, came the avoidance that made him feel more lonely than he had ever felt in his life.

Sure, he had a few friends but none of them filled the hole in his heart that came along with Sam’s disappearance.

“And you wanna know what that was like?” Dean drifted to the other side of Mary, hoping to catch his mother’s gaze but she steered clear of his eyes by whirling her head the other direction. At the reaction, Dean clenched his jaw angrily, narrowing his eyes in hurt.

“They killed the girl that he loved.”

Dean paused, studying the back of his mother’s head, frustrated and displeased when she refused to face him.

“He got possessed by Lucifer.”

The hatred and contempt Dean felt towards the Devil exceeded any feelings of dislike he held against his mother by more than a billion times. He _loathed_ that son of a bitch.

“They tortured him in hell.”

Sam emitted a soft whimper and Dean glimpsed down with sorrow, mourning his brother. Their mother stayed silent.

“He lost his soul.”

Dean remembered the lack of emotions that Sam displayed at the loss of his soul. It was chilling but nothing was more disturbing than seeing Sam gone so suddenly.

“ _And_ Lucifer killed him.”

Sammy began to murmur, smiling contentedly in oblivion. Dean’s eyes teared at the sight, understanding that he would never see Sam looking so pleased again. That he would _never_ see Sammy in general. Dean looked at Mary in her stillness, green eyes watery with heavy emotions.

“All because of you. All of it was because of you.”

A tear dropped down from his face.

“I _hate you._ ”

 

Dean stood still, staring calmly at the gun that was pointed at him. He was a bloodied mess and his leg throbbed painfully. Arthur Ketch moved his gun forward, face smeared with blood as well. Dean felt a small ounce of satisfaction at the fact that he was able to deliver a load of agony to the douche.

Ketch looked smug but his delay on pulling the trigger had Dean suspicious. However, that didn’t change the way Dean gazed at the man with boldness.

Dean wasn’t afraid to die. Though, he wasn’t suicidal. However, in some ways, he ached for death. Dean yearned to be with Sam in the afterlife the same way he was with him when he was alive. They were brothers and Dean _knew_ that his home would always be where Sammy was. So that was why Dean looked at Ketch almost longingly, not wishing for death but not denying.

A gunshot rang out and from the way Ketch jerked, it wasn’t him that initiated the shot. Ketch let out a wounded grunt and collapsed to his knees, staring in surprise at Dean, who also glanced back in shock.

Dean flickered his eyes behind him while Ketch did the same. Mary stood there, glaring at Ketch hatefully and for the first time in a while, Dean felt hopeful that his mother was back.

“Mom?” Dean’s eyes were wide, incredulity clear in his voice.

Ketch displayed the same disbelief, accompanied by the speck of betrayal on his face. He looked hurt as he gazed in horror at Mary, who did not falter at Ketch’s pained stare.

“Mary.”

Mary didn’t utter any words and after a few tense seconds, Ketch dropped his gun noisily as he looked down at the floor in defeat, holding a hand against his bloody shoulder. Dean moved swiftly to kick away the gun before moving close to his mother, who only continued to point her gun at Ketch.

Dean glanced at his mother, relieved. He did it. Dean got through to her and he felt much better than he did in a long time. He was glad Mary finally listened to him after his emotional rant about him and Sam, the child she never managed to see all grown up.

“I-I knew you were a killer.” Ketch said stiffly. “You both are.”

“You’re right.” Dean stated coldly, not feeling any pity towards the man kneeling on the ground. There was no feelings of guilt, especially after everything the British Men of Letters had pulled which included capturing his little angel buddy for interrogation. Dean was not happy about that at all.

Ketch’s body was knocked back when the bullet rippled through him. Both Dean and Mary stood rigid, watching the man carefully but relaxed when it appeared he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

Dean looked around the bunker, grimacing at the mess surrounding them, including the two dead bodies.

Cleaning up was going to take some time.

 

Dean was outside of the bunker, making a phone call. Mary was cleaning the clutter inside while Dean dealt with the bodies. He burned the bodies before burying the ashes in the field next to the bunker.

Before Dean and Mary started on cleansing the place, they had a heartfelt conversation about everything Dean had mentioned when he was inside her head. Dean tried to disregard the entire issue at first but Mary only continued to talk about the subject, regardless of Dean’s efforts to ignore the whole thing.  

Mary told him how every action she had made in the past year wasn’t exactly right. That she was wrong.

Dean was relieved to hear so from his mom, even the part where she admitted she had been distant and cold. He didn’t want his mom to feel guilty so he soothed her worries the best way he could and that was with an old-fashioned Winchester pep talk.

However, the moment she mentioned Sam, Dean clammed up and his soft smile disappeared abruptly. Mary had noticed the change instantly and frowned sadly, before opening her mouth so she could say more. But Dean turned the other way, muttering how the bodies should be cleared.

Now, Dean was out of the bunker, finished with the task and trying to contact someone.

The phone rang a few times before going through to voicemail. Dean grunted in irritation when the phone beeped. It was his fourth time attempting to call. He decided to just leave a quick message in hopes that they’ll receive it.

“Hey,” Dean started gruffly. “I was just calling to ask if the plan had worked out and hopefully, the hunters were able to use your help. Everything’s good here. Meet me back in the bunker.”

Dean hung up and glanced down at his phone, staring blankly at the name and picture on his screen. Shaking his head, he walked back into the bunker, eyes instantly locking onto Mary’s seated figure at the table.

She looked almost sullen, staring dully down at the table. Dean wanted to fix it and relieve her sorrow but he knew he wouldn’t be able to provide her the answers she wanted to hear. He was grieving too and it was tough for him.

It hurt talking about Sam.

Hell, it hurt _thinking_ about Sam.

So Dean took a seat across from Mary and pulled out a laptop. The atmosphere was silent, _awkward_ even. But research needed to be done. With one threat annihilated, there was another one straight ahead.

The nephilim. _Lucifer’s_ child.

It was a good thing that Lucifer had been locked away but Dean wished he could’ve inflicted some sort of pain before he disappeared.  

Dean had been searching for clues on where Kelly Kline might be, along with her child. The pursuit was relentless and they didn’t had much luck on capturing her. But there must’ve been some sort of sign somewhere since nephilim are said to hold great power.

He was focusing intensely on an article when a door creaked loudly. Dean looked up from his screen, along with Mary who seemed to have occupied herself with a book. They both glanced over to the stairs.

Loud footsteps resounded through the bunker and then a soft voice spoke.

“Dean. Mary.” Hazel eyes stared at the two of them, looking relieved. The redhead continued to speak. “I’m glad to see that the both of you are alright.”

“Anna.” Dean said in reply, assessing her serious face. “Did everything go as planned?”

“The mission was completed successfully but-” Anna hesitated, sadness appearing. “There were a few lives that were lost.”

Dean frowned but he wasn’t able to display his grief realistically. Mary and _even_ Anna showed feelings of sorrow with their downcast expressions but Dean merely sighed softly before focusing on his laptop once again. There was a larger mission in hand and that was finding Kelly and her child.

There wasn’t time to mourn.

“Okay.” Dean remarked indifferently, dismissing the subject with a shake to his head. He didn’t need to look up to feel the disapproval and incredulity radiating from Mary and Anna. “Come take a seat, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

Dean waved Anna over without a glance over at her, as he continued searching the web. There were a few articles he found but it wasn’t the type of weird he expected from the near birth of Lucifer’s child.

Oh, how Dean wished Sam was here. Sam would’ve known what to do. He always figured out what to do.

Then there was Dean, who was utterly useless and thinking of Sam.

_Again._

Dean was too busy musing that he didn’t notice Anna’s hesitant steps. Not until she was standing next to him, almost timidly. Dean looked up with an arched eyebrow, wondering why she wasn’t seated yet. The faster they got to work, the better.

Anna opened her mouth but no words came out. She looked frustrated but also devastated with her face scrunched up unhappily. In the years of knowing Anna, Dean was able to place her look immediately.

It meant bad news.  

“What’s wrong?” Dean demanded, green eyes narrowing in suspicion by the way Anna shuffled around uncomfortably. Mary also appeared bothered by Anna’s uneasiness by straightening up in her seat and furrowing her eyebrows at Anna.

Anna refused to respond though, as she stared at Dean reluctantly.

“Anna.” Dean snapped. “What is it?” There was no time to waste and Anna seemed hellbent on not saying anything.

“Lucifer’s back.” Anna revealed slowly, carefully observing Dean’s reaction. “I don’t know how but Hess had pictures to prove it. Maybe Crowley had a hand in it.” Then, there was a pile of pictures being slapped down in front of him.

All photos of _Lucifer._

Any words Anna said after that only went past his ears. Dean could only stare down in shock at the face that had _murdered_ his brother. He couldn’t respond. His voice had escaped him and he was left gazing endlessly at the monster who had killed Sam.

Concerned voices whispered loudly in the background.

“Are you sure it’s Lucifer?”

“It is. He’s using his old vessel from before.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m sure Crowley played a role in this somehow. He did have a grudge against Lucifer. I wouldn’t be surprised if Crowley kept Lucifer as a form of revenge.”

Dean barely registered the distressed conversation that went on between Mary and Anna but he did jerk the moment a hand softly touched his shoulder.

“Dean.” Mom was standing from her seat, leaning over the table to touch Dean reassuredly. She had questions floating around in her gaze. Anna looked worried and the moment their eyes met, she winced. It was subtle but he could still see the way she jolted guiltily.

He could see the self-loathing and the shame in her eyes.

He knew that Anna felt like she was at fault. That she was the reason that Lucifer was on Earth causing terror and outrage.

And it was her fault.

The grip on his shoulder squeezed tighter snapping Dean back into reality. Anna’s mouth was moving and he realized that he missed a few words of hers.

“... catch Lucifer and lock him away again. We can do it if we put all our minds together.”

It was hard enough the first time but now they have to go through all of it again? Dean couldn’t express the fury he felt well enough. Dealing with Lucifer after he had killed Sam was difficult and then when he was hopping from one vessel to another, that was just as hard as well.

When will that fucker ever leave Earth?

“So you’re saying…” Dean growled out lowly. “We finally defeated the Brits, only to have to figure out a way to stop Lucifer. That’s just _fucking_ awesome.” He grit his teeth angrily and slammed a fist against the table, startling Anna and Mary. “We don't have time for that. The nephilim could be born anytime this week. We should be focused on finding Kelly.”

“If Lucifer’s out, then that means he’ll be searching for his child. We need to reach Kelly first before Lucifer does. Lucifer will come to us once we have located Kelly.”

Anna sounded determined and hopeful of her plan.

“Great. Okay then.” Dean said sarcastically, rubbing his face tiredly. “I can't listen to all this shit sober. I'm going to go grab a beer.”

“Dean-” Anna’s eyes were wide in an imploring manner and he could detect the sorry tone in her voice immediately. Dean clenched his jaw at the display and stared at her in warning.

“Don’t.” Dean said brusquely and stood up abruptly. The chair screeched back loudly while Dean stretched and rolled his head back. He looked towards the direction of the kitchen and ignored the stares aimed at him.

“We should call Rowena.” Anna yelled out to Dean as he started to saunter to the kitchen where the beers were contained. “She’s the only one who could put Lucifer back in his cage.”

Dean stopped in his trail and turned back to look at Anna.

“You don’t need me for that.” Dean replied impatiently. “You have both a phone and her number. Just call her yourself, I’ll be back in a short moment.”

Ignoring Anna’s response, Dean ventured into the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator. There were only a couple of beer bottles left so Dean grabbed them all. He popped the cap to one of the beers and chugged it down until there was nothing left. Then, he grabbed the next and did the same.

Dean leaned against the refrigerator door, eyes closed, and took in a deep breath. He needed a minute to grasp everything.

Lucifer was back.

And Sam was still dead.

Sam won’t ever return back to him the way Lucifer had.

All the outrage Dean felt about Lucifer’s reappearance melted away until all he felt was exhaustion and bitterness. This game of cat and mouse with Lucifer was not amusing to Dean. It never was.

They should’ve never went to Lucifer looking for help against Amara. It was the dumbest move they had ever made and now, the consequences kept piling on and on. Now, Dean was left chasing after Lucifer with hundred pound weights holding him back.

It was a losing battle that Dean was not eager to continue.

Somedays, Dean wished that Amara brought back Sam instead of Mary. But thinking about it felt cruel and Dean could feel his heart physically clenching in horror at the appalling thought. Sam would’ve argued if he heard what Dean was thinking about.

Hell, Sam would’ve started a riot.

But those harsh ideas were easy to think about the days Mary acted distant and cold. It was simple to just lean back and ponder on how much better it would be if Sam were here instead of Mary.

He could never tell his mom that. Dean didn’t want to see the hurt in her face if he were to confess, no matter how much Mary had upset him in the past.

Darkly, Dean mused that the second he saw Lucifer’s sneering face, he was gonna do his best to torment that fucker. All his depression and fatigue would hold no importance because when Lucifer shows his ugly face, Dean would release all hell on Satan.

That was more significant than his grief and despair.

Avenging Sammy was what mattered.

Grabbing his fourth beer bottle, Dean wandered back to where Mary and Anna were. He froze right before he entered the room when he heard Anna and Mary talking. It wasn’t the fact that they were chatting that caused him to go rigid, it was _what_ they were talking about.

And it certainly wasn’t Rowena.

“It’s my fault. All of it. Lucifer roaming Earth. Dean’s anger, depression and grief. Sam’s death. Even the nephilim is my responsibility. If I had never said yes to Lucifer, this wouldn’t be happening.”

Dean could hear the stress and sorrow in Anna’s voice. At times, Dean felt guilty of his cold demeanor towards Anna but like she had said, Sam wouldn’t be dead if it weren’t for her. He’d be alive.

“What happened?”

Mary’s voice whispered quietly, not wanting to be heard but Dean could hear her perfectly.

“How did Sam die? Dean never told me exactly how Sam died.”

Dean never told her because he was scared of her reaction. He was always supposed to protect Sammy and he failed. Dad always expected him to protect Sam.

Dean could just imagine the look on Dad’s face if he heard what happened. Dean didn’t want to see the same disappointment in Mary’s expression as John whenever Sam was hurt. Dean didn’t want to be reminded of how bad he failed at keeping Sam safe from harm.

“I wasn’t strong enough _.”_

Anna’s voice wavered and Dean had to lean in closer to listen. He didn’t want to eavesdrop but he felt like he had to.

“Dean and Sam didn’t realize Lucifer was masquerading around as me and when Lucifer sent Dean to the past to fetch the Hand of God. He- I’m sorry.”

Anna paused, her voice choked, sounding terribly distraught and Dean was once again reminded of the young woman he met eight years ago in the church. The girl who cried out in horror at the face of a demon. The girl who flinched back the moment Dean took a step closer to her but then looked at him with such admiration and hope the moment he told her his name.

Dean almost forgotten how _human_ Anna used to be back then. She was terrified back then and she was terrified now.

He was left feeling guilty once again.

But Sam’s death was etched deeply in his heart, mind and soul. Hearing Anna talk about Sam brought Dean back to unpleasant memories. He remembered the day so clearly that even he would make another deal with a crossroads demon to forget everything, despite knowing the consequences.

It was like a huge balloon filled with blood and guts had exploded in the room.

But no, it was Sam that had burst apart, not a balloon. His intestines, organs, limbs and so much more had decorated the walls, shelves, table, bookshelves and ceiling. It took Dean a week to clean it all up and even then, he was still scrubbing the floors because all he could see was blood. Sammy’s blood on his hands.

He remembered in excruciating detail of the tooths that were scattered around the bunker. Then there was the piles of skin that colored the bunker. It was horrible. Dean remembered how shocked he was staring at the place once Lucifer brought him back.

Dean didn’t realize how much stuff a human body could contain until it painted the walls of the bunker.

The stench had caused Dean to gag because it reeked of decay. He should’ve been familiar with the scent of death because he dealt with it everyday. The smell of rotten, rancid and rank flesh rotting away. But it was different that time.

It was different because it was Sam that was emitting such a putrid odor. Dean could never erase the image of Sam splattered on the walls like a squashed tomato.

The foul stench remained in the bunker for a month.

It was later that Dean learned from Anna that Lucifer murdered Sam by touching his soul to extract power for him to use. The same way Anna had done so to Bobby in the past. However, Lucifer didn’t need the power. He only took it because Sam offered believing that Lucifer was Anna.

Dean should’ve known how cruel Lucifer could be. He should’ve realized how _dangerous_ Satan was. They should’ve never came to him. It was stupid of them to have even hoped for the Devil’s help.

Anna was dumb for believing Lucifer could defeat Amara. She was an idiot for saying _yes._ She wasn’t strong enough to stop Lucifer from killing Sam. She couldn’t _even_ eject Lucifer.

“Sam died because of me and Dean… Dean has a reason to hate me. After all, I killed his brother. Mary, I killed your son.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Mary’s firm voice resounded through the room.

“We all make stupid choices. I’m sure you, me and Dean made decisions we regret. A decision that we wished we could take back. A decision we made to save and help the people we love.”

“But mine ended with Sam’s death. It didn’t save anyone and it sure as hell wasn’t worth the deaths that followed. If only I could turn back time I would-”

Anna stopped speaking abruptly, before whipping her wide eyes towards Dean, most likely sensing his presence. She looked vulnerable and smaller than ever. She also looked as exhausted as Dean, despite not needing any sleep.

Dean had stopped trying to hide behind the wall. His body was in the open and he was unconsciously leaning closer to listen. He locked gazes with Anna, noticing the way she shrunk in her seat, almost as if she were afraid of his reaction. Mary looked wary as well, flickering her eyes between Anna and Dean.

“Anna.” Dean opened his mouth to say more but he wasn’t prepared to spill. The words that tumbled out weren’t the words he wanted to say. He wanted to reassure her but he couldn’t. “I’m going to bed, we’ll deal with all this in the morning. Lucifer, Kelly and the nephilim could wait until tomorrow.”

Mary looked upset, almost as if Dean had let her down while Anna only looked saddened. Dean felt the same as they did.

“Goodnight mom.” Dean didn’t say any words to Anna, instead he ignored her entirely.

He turned away, looking forward to the dreams that will wash away his worries and stress. Dean wanted his problems to melt away if only for an instant.

 

Since the day Uriel raised Dean from hell, his dreams became strange. Odd even. They weren’t like how they were before he went to hell nor were they the type of weird that dreams normally were. Dean didn’t fantasize of women like he did before. Nor did he dream of memories from his past.

Instead, he would dream about his day. It was like rewinding a tape from the start of his day to the end of it and going through the day a second time but in his slumber.

It didn’t strike Dean as unusual because it was basically what he experienced throughout the day. He was just reliving the same exact events but in dream mode and it wasn’t like he couldn’t tell his dreams from reality. Dean always knew he was sleeping from the way his dreams felt more hazy and unreal.

Dean thought it must’ve been a side effect from being in hell but he soon discovered it wasn’t.

He started to realize something was unnatural the night he slept after meeting Uriel in the barn for the first time because instead of seeing Uriel in the barn kicking his ass in his dreams, Dean saw a man with a solemn face, messy hair and blue eyes in a similar scenario.

The only fight that occurred between Dean and the man was him trying to stab the angel in the chest with the demon-killing knife and failing. In real life, Uriel did not even let him get close with the knife at all. Instead, he swatted Dean to the side like a small fly.

He knew the man was an angel like Uriel too by the way his wings flashed quickly in the barnyard in his dreams. The angel told Dean how he saved from hell, just like Uriel did but with more tranquility and his expression was serene. Then, Dean recalled waking up and remembering his dreams about the composed angel but not the features of the angel’s face.

It was like Dean had shitty vision every time he glanced at the blue-eyed angel from then on. Like he needed glasses to stare at the man in his dreams clearly. It frustrated him. Dreaming of a man repeatedly throughout the years and waking up and not remembering the exact characteristics of his face.

All Dean knew was that he had blue eyes, black hair and bad taste in clothing attire because who wears a damn suit and trench coat everyday. Even Anna had better style than that.

The angel’s name was also affected every time it was uttered. It would come out muffled in his sleep like someone was speaking underwater. Whenever Dean would pronounced the angel’s name in his dreams, it would be faint as well, as if Dean was keeping a secret that even he himself didn’t want to know.

After a couple of dreams with the peculiar blue-eyed angel, Dean remembered demanding for Uriel to come down. He wanted to understand his bizarre dreams and most of all, he wanted to know more about the angel. It took two hours of screaming Uriel’s name for the angel to arrive. Dean recalled the outrage and irritation on Uriel’s face when he finally came.

Uriel was furious and the insults that rained down Dean was nonstop. It was quite amusing at the time but he was there for answers. However, Uriel did not provide any. In fact, Uriel was indifferent about his sleeping issue. Completely useless.

Then, Uriel disappeared from his sight. It was a waste of an entire afternoon for Dean.

So life continued on and Dean proceeded to forget his strange dreams with the even stranger angel. There were more things to worry about at the time such as hunting monsters and saving the world from the Apocalypse. The family business.

Some nights his dreams were just a repeat of his day. But other nights, Dean dreamt of the angel. When he did, the dreams sometimes derived completely from his actual day. There were few that were similar to his day but another angel such as Anna or Uriel were in the blue-eyed angel’s place. Well, until Anna killed Uriel of course.

It was mindblowing. Sometimes, Dean woke up confused and his thoughts jumbled around. He would mix up situations from dream world into reality. When that happened, Sam would stare at him with bewilderment. Then, Dean would brush it off, not before blaming it on his interactive imagination.

Comparing his dreams to real life, Dean noticed that Anna made similar choices but it was never completely the same and when it appeared as if Anna was going to stray off the path his pretend angel was taking, he would just suggest an idea that the unknown angel had done in his sleep.

It worked and Anna would follow the same road and sometimes, Dean didn’t even have to nudge for Anna to make the decisions his dream angel made. Or was it the other way around? Was it the blue-eyed angel making the same choices as Anna?

Dean felt comforted by the fact that the angel from his dreams would be in the situation Anna would be in. It felt correct and safe for Dean. He didn’t know why but Dean thought it would be dangerous if they went astray from his dreams and sometimes they did. His dreams were completely different from real life.

But they always ended up in the right direction again.

Dean never dwelled heavily on the subject. All he felt was relief that Anna and Sam were by his side and that they were going down the path that seemed mostly right, despite the trouble or problems in their life.

His puzzling dreams continued on throughout the years.

He woke up angry at times, remembering the stupid decisions of an angel he couldn’t name. Then, it would infuriate Dean because he would remember Anna making the same dumb choices. There were plenty of times both angels did foolish things that either matched or didn’t.

Some nights he woke up saddened for the all the shit he put the angel though. The one that stuck out to him was the time he had the Mark of Cain and had just shooted the Stein family in the bunker.

The blue-eyed angel had warned him not to kill the last member, a mere boy. Dean hadn’t listened and proceeded to beat the shit out of the angel. He did not resist, only staring at Dean with solemn blue eyes he couldn’t remember well.

That decision had haunted his dreams and reality. Dean was somewhat glad it hadn’t ended that way with Anna.

Other nights, he was embarrassed to find himself hard from imagining what it would be like to touch the angel in places he had never touched a man before. Dean never made a move in his dreams but he could see himself kissing, feeling and touching the angel. It was odd.

But in most dreams, Dean felt warmth for the angel he associated with family.

Dean didn’t feel the same way about Anna. He didn’t feel the profound connection with Anna like he did with the faceless angel with no name. Of course, she was family but she was more like an angelic sister to him. Dean didn’t feel the same fiery desire and fondness for Anna.

Sure there was the night he slept with Anna as a ‘last night on Earth’ type of deal when she was human but Dean treated that situation more like a one night stand.

So Dean kept going on through life, along with Sam and Anna. His dreams with the peculiar angel were a double life that only he knew and fantasized about.

Then, there was the night Sam died. It was hard falling asleep that day nor did he want to. Dean almost didn’t sleep, especially since he was still traumatized by the gruesome display. In addition, there was the desperation he felt on getting rid of Sam’s remains from the bunker. He was endlessly cleaning the bunker.

Dean kept scrubbing until the sun rose. His body was sluggish and his eyes were stinging but he continued rinsing the place. He didn’t want to sleep because that meant going through the same exact day again.

And Dean didn’t want to see Sammy die again, even in his dreams. Dean didn’t want to see the mysterious angel he was so fond of murder the brother he loved. He didn’t want to dream of Lucifer boasting about Sam’s death.

Lucifer in Anna’s body was bad enough.

But the powerful urge to close his eyes and rest hit him the next day at noon. So, Dean stood up and dragged himself away. The horrible red stains were still on the floor but he couldn’t stand being there any longer so he went to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed. He didn’t have the strength to change out of his blood-streaked clothes.

So Dean slept, terrified of the nightmares that were going to follow. He woke up the next morning with heavily mixed emotions.

Sam was alive in his dream world.

Instead of Dean seeing body parts all over the walls, he saw Sam’s panicked expression. Then, there was a frantic yell. Sam was warning Dean that the angel wasn’t (---) and Dean knew exactly what he had meant when he saw the blurred face morphed into a wicked smirk.

 _Lucifer_.

What happened after was similar to the reality Dean remembered. Lucifer attempted to use the Hand of God with no success. After that, there was the same aggravation being expressed in the blue-eyed man as Anna as he marched furiously to Dean. However, Sam initiated the angel banishing sigil just like Dean did.

And then, it was different. There was no same horrified shock Dean felt after Lucifer vanished. Instead, the Dean and Sam in dreamland were relatively calm but worried. They were concerned for their feathered friend.

Dean couldn’t help but feel rueful for the fact that it was not concern he felt when facing this new conflict nor was it confusion. Dean knew exactly what had happened.

He was angry with Anna because Sam could’ve been saved since he was alive in his dreams. If only Anna had put in some more willpower, then Sam’s death wouldn’t have occurred. She should’ve worked harder to keep Sam safe.

Anna just wasn’t strong enough to keep Lucifer from killing Sam. The sudden realization put him in such a livid fit that he stormed out of his bedroom and started tearing everything apart. Chairs, papers, books, pens and everything in his sight were thrown to the floor in his fury, adding to the mess from Sam’s blown up corpse.

Dean had to figure out what to do from then on. Without Sam or Anna by his side, he had to fight and think for himself. He partnered up with Crowley and Rowena, even though it wasn’t what he would’ve prefered.

Though, they were helpful when it came to attempting to fight Lucifer and Amara. When night came, Dean was relieved to see that he and Sam used their help in his dreams. It didn’t make him feel as useless without Sam.

But God showed up and soon, they needed Lucifer on their side. It was the hardest task ever for Dean to contain the hate and contempt he felt for Lucifer. Or at least it was hard to not convey it physically. But whenever he had a chance, Dean’s mouth spat out words full of loathing towards Satan.

Lucifer found his spiteful insults amusing and the fact that it was Anna’s face that was grinning so horribly only made Dean want to slam his fist into her face even harder. There had been no feelings of guilt back then when Lucifer was possessing Anna.

All Dean wanted was retribution.

However, Anna came back after Amara had cast out Lucifer. Then, the only emotions Dean saw from Anna from that point was misery and heartache. He didn’t hear excuses from Anna, only tearful apologies.

From that moment, Dean felt exhaustion overtake his rage. There was no reason to hate Anna, not when it was Lucifer who killed Sam.

Although, Dean didn’t make an effort to treat Anna the same as before. Instead, he gave her the cold treatment and in his excuse, it was better than anger but Dean could see his stiff demeanor only saddened her. She sent him crestfallen glances that only irritated him.

But still, Dean didn’t attempt to give Anna much attention since God and Amara had disappeared. Dean only went through his hunter life mechanically. His dreams were the only comfort in his life from then. He wished he could snooze forever with Sam and his unknown angel by his side.

So Dean drifted away, hoping to find solace in his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made the decision today to split chapter 2 into three parts because the chapter was starting to get way too long. The middle part (chapter 2-4) should be around 20,000 words if not more and then there's the conclusion. I'm about done with 12,000 words right now so the first half (6,000 words) is what you're seeing in the chapter right now. I did this for quicker updates and easier editing. 
> 
> Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, I'm planning for Castiel's intro to either be in the end of the next chapter or the beginning of chapter 4. Also, sorry for killing off Sam and Cas, I swear it's all temporary :( I like to believe that if it weren't for Castiel turning in Anna to heaven, Anna would still be in Supernatural. It's a headcanon of mine and plus, I think the writers meant for Anna to stick around longer. 
> 
> Update will possibly be around next week. Maybe sooner, maybe later. Until next time :)


	3. Chapter 3

Dean woke up early in the morning with his head aching dully. He immediately headed straight to the library where Mary and Anna were. They were seated next to each other, staring intently at their devices. He assumed they were searching for some indication of where the nephilim might be.  

He didn’t exactly know how he should interrupt their concentration. After a few seconds of staring at their focused gazes, Dean let out a gruff cough to announce his presence. It worked and both of their faces turned towards him. Mary’s face broke into a tired smile while Anna only looked at Dean wearily. 

“Dean, I hope you slept well.” Mary said warmly, causing Dean to flash her a pleasant quirk to his mouth.

Dean did have a good night sleep. His dreams had followed his previous day pretty well but the only difference was how Sam fit into the situation. His brother was there with him when that British fucker trapped them inside the bunker with Toni. Then, he was also there after Dean and Mary exterminated Ketch. Also, instead of Anna, Sam went along with the hunters to destroy the British base. 

It was interesting to see how his dreams compared to real life. In addition, Dean noted that the blue-eyed angel had not appeared in his sleep at all that night. If he recalled the timeline of his dreams correctly, then the angel must’ve been with Kelly, the nephilim’s mother.

Dean had no idea how the angel was able to accompany Kelly in her efforts to stay hidden when Anna did not. It would’ve been easier to track Kelly if Anna were by her side. 

“Sleep was very much needed.” 

Dean walked up to the table and seated himself across from his mother and Anna. He stretched his arm over to grab his laptop, glancing over to Anna to find her expression bothered. He frowned at Anna, before sighing tiredly. Yet again, bad news. 

“Anna, what is it?” Dean opened his laptop, turning it on. 

“Rowena’s dead.” Anna stated uneasily, her face remained disturbed. “She was our only chance of sending Lucifer back to the Cage.” 

“How did she-”

“Lucifer. He was the one that answered Rowena’s phone and explained to us in strong, gruesome detail on how he killed Rowena. Then, he hung up on us.”

Dean groaned in irritation, while rubbing his face in exhaustion. He could feel a strong headache coming on. He reached for the beer laid on the table across from him and ignored the disapproving look from his mom. He chugged the half-filled warm beer in one large gulp. 

“That was mine.” 

Mary remarked, exasperation conveyed in her voice. Dean shrugged indifferently, not really apologetic, but faintly amused by his mom’s annoyed frown.  

“Sorry.” 

His slight smile disappeared when he flickered his eyes over to Anna. He could feel all his stress building up in his head when he locked his gaze on her. Dean was reminded of Lucifer all over again and he could almost see the mocking smirk on her face when Lucifer admitted to killing Sam. 

He narrowed his eyes barely but Anna caught on to his mood change quickly. She jerked her head down to the table, not meeting his gaze. Anna always knew how to read Dean’s emotions, he shouldn’t have expected less.

“Well, there’s no reason for us to try locking Lucifer away if Rowena’s dead. We need to make sure he never reaches his son in the first place and if he does, it could mean a lot of trouble which means we need to work on finding Kelly.”

Dean declared and saw agreeing nods in his peripheral vision. Then, they were off to work. 

Concentrated silence filled the air for the next twenty minutes. Dean was going through news sites in an attempt to find anything odd. It didn't take long for him to find something strange but he wasn't sure if it was weird enough.

“Hey, listen to this. There was a two-headed calf that was born in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.” Dean arched an eyebrow at Anna and Mary in question. “That's weird.” 

“That  _ is _ weird.” Mary noted, as Anna stood up and walked over to Dean, staring at his screen in thought before shaking her head in disappointment.

“It’s not weird enough.” Anna sighed softly, before continuing on. “When nephilim are born, the signs are usually different and bigger. Considering the fact that this is Lucifer’s child, the signs are going to be a lot more immense. Trust me, we’ll know when it’s the nephilim.”

“Right, of course.” Dean brushed a hand through his hair tiredly. “We’ll just keep searching, then. There has to-”

“You rang?” 

Crowley’s voice echoed in the air loudly and Dean whipped his head to the source, finding Crowley seated at the end of the table. Fury bubbled inside him like lava as soon as he saw the cocky smirk on the demon’s face. Dean didn’t hesitate to slam his fist against the shitty grin, causing Crowley to hit the floor with a bang.

The eyes on Crowley’s face bugged out in surprise and a pained grunt escaped him. Dean swiftly drew out the demon-killing knife in his pocket and held it against Crowley’s throat. 

“Did you do it?” Dean growled lowly, glaring furiously at Crowley. “Did you let Lucifer out?!” 

Crowley should be lucky Dean hadn’t plunged the knife deep into his stomach yet. Dean was more than just mad, he was livid and fuming. His mouth was drawn back into an angry snarl and he ached terribly to just kill the demon. Dean could barely restrain himself. 

“I didn’t let-”

“Don’t!” Dean barked, pushing the knife closer to Crowley’s neck. Mary and Anna were both behind him, standing in alarm. Crowley’s face turned red from the amount of force Dean was extorting onto his neck. 

“Ginger, a little help here!” Crowley’s voice was strained as he stared helplessly at Anna, who hesitated. Then, she held out a hand in caution and her face turned firm.

“Dean, wait.” 

“Seriously?” Dean and Mary said simultaneously in disbelief. He transferred his glare from Crowley to Anna, who only winced in response. 

“Look, just don’t kill him.” Anna said as she motioned her hand over to Crowley, who tried to stare at Dean guiltlessly. Dean only tightened the knife harder in response. “He worked the Cage spell with Rowena. Maybe he could help us.” 

The suggestion had Dean furrowing his eyebrows in contemplation. Crowley nodded a little and smirked smugly. Dean didn’t say anything in reply but Mary did. 

“What if we can’t?” 

“Well, then we kill him.” Anna proposed which immediately wiped off the smile on Crowley’s face. Dean narrowed his eyes, before shoving himself off the demon. Crowley stood up tersely and sent everyone in the room a scowl. He pulled up the fallen chair and sat down in it.

“Cage spell? Thought you had mother for that.”

“Rowena’s dead.” Dean interjected. Crowley’s expression did not change at the news, except for the slight twitch of skepticism to his mouth. 

“Really?” Crowley questioned, as doubt drenched his voice. Anna stared over at him seriously and answered assertively.

“Yes, really.  _ Lucifer _ .” At the mention of Lucifer, Crowley’s face morphed into a sober look. 

“Funny. I always thought I’d be the one to kill her.” 

“Crowley,” Anna began sternly, her expression stony. “Why did you do it? Save Lucifer-- What did you want?” 

Her words caused Crowley to go off into some bullshit monologue. The longer Crowley talked, the more irritated Dean became. 

The moronic reason that Crowley came up with was how he wanted to win. Beat Lucifer down to the ground like the piece of shit he was which Dean had to admit was understandable to a certain degree. 

Dean wanted to torture Lucifer for all he had done to him and Sam but he would rather have Lucifer locked away in a cage, aside where he can’t hurt any more people. But Crowley’s stupid decision had to get in the way and now his mother was dead because of his foolish pride. It didn’t bother Dean in the slightest to think Crowley deserved it. 

He barely paid any heed to Crowley’s words after that. Dean only clenched his jaw impatiently and glared at the demon while the other two listened attentively. Then, he started spouting crap about how much he hated having the throne of hell and how awful it was. The crap spilling from Crowley’s voice caused Dean to clench his knife harder in aggravation. 

After awhile of ranting, Crowley  _ finally  _ proposed a deal that had Dean’s ears perking up in interest. 

Crowley wanted to seal the gates of Hell after locking Lucifer away. It sounded almost too good to be true but it seemed Crowley was desperate enough to do it and it was an offer that Dean could get down with. 

 

\---

 

They were back at it again with the researching on their devices. The sounds of fingers clicking against the keyboard resonated in the room and everyone was focused on the task of finding clues, except Crowley who was utterly useless. Instead of helping, he was drinking a glass cup of Scotch while staring boredly at them. 

“This is what you do when I’m not here? Type?” Crowley yapped annoyingly. 

“Yep.”

Dean replied blankly, as he moved through different articles. Then, he paused at one that caught his attention. 

“Wait, I think I found something.” Dean announced, as his eyes scanned the news in curiosity. It wasn’t the type of “big” that Anna told him to look out for but something about the article intrigued him. He continued to skim through the story, feeling a bout of nostalgia. He didn’t understand why it felt so familiar to him.

When Dean didn’t continue speaking, Anna immediately stood up and walked to his computer screen. She glanced over the article before quirking an eyebrow in confusion at Dean.

“‘ _ Woman Discovers Old Family Antique with Mystifying Powers.’” _ Anna read the headline monotonously before frowning at Dean sternly. “Dean, this article is dated from two weeks ago. We should be searching for news from the past twenty-four hours, especially since the nephilim could be born anytime in the next few hours. Their powers reveal only a few hours to a day before they’re in this world.” 

Dean continued reading through the article, barely hearing the words Anna was saying. There was something that was pulling him to this case. Something that was  _ screaming  _ at him to go to this woman’s house and find out what was so peculiar about the object. 

“It’s not far from here.” Dean found himself saying without realizing. He blinked, finding his eyes dry from staring endlessly at the screen. He turned to Anna before declaring firmly. “We should check it out.” 

“Dean, Anna’s right.” Mary added in, looking at Dean with concern. “Nothing about that screams _nephilim._ It’s not our type of weird. If anything, it sounds like a scam that someone said to get some publicity.” 

“No.” Dean shook his head in denial, not bothered by the baffled looks that were sent his way. “There’s something here, there  _ has _ to be. We have to go.” 

Urgency swelled inside him and he delivered a distraught, wide-eyed stare to the both of them. It was unlike him to act this way but he couldn’t help it. It was like some strange entity had possessed him. 

There was no response from either one of them except for a grumble to his side.

“All that tedious typing and you found absolutely  _ nothing _ ?!” Crowley groused irritably, before standing up in annoyance. 

Dean jerked his head over to Crowley with a glower and without delay, stabbed the demon-killing knife into Crowley’s hand. Electricity crackled as Crowley let out a gut-wrenching scream. 

“You think you get a say after what you pulled?” Dean growled with menace before pushing the knife deeper into the table, impaling the object further into Crowley’s hand. Anna and Mary stared with stunned silence at Dean. “No. You stay here, you sit down, and you shut up.”

Dean turned back to Anna, resolute in his decision. 

“Let’s go, Anna.” He went to grab his keys and jerked his head towards the stairs. Anna furrowed her eyebrows and frowned at Dean, frozen in her spot. 

“Wait, Dean. We shouldn’t go. We don’t have time for this, we need to find Ke-”

“Anna.” Mary interrupted with a soft, hesitant smile. “It’s fine, I’ll stay here and continue searching.” She turned to Dean with reluctance shown all over her face. “Dean, you can go ahead and find this  _ important _ item you’re so certain is related to the nephilim but the moment I call you to tell you I tracked down the location of Kelly, I expect you to be back here as quick as possible.”

“Of course.” Dean said in compliance, not wanting to start in argument before sending a glare to Crowley. “If you dare move an inch from your seat, I won’t hesitate to stab you a million times over with that knife so- _ Don't. Move. _ ”

Dean walked up the stairs and out the bunker with Anna following him tentatively while Crowley sent him an unpleased frown. His mom’s expression didn’t fall that behind from Crowley’s with her dismayed stare following him out the door. 

Despite the feelings of self-doubt he felt over the worried looks directed at him, there was some unknown force pulling him towards this case. Well, not really a “case” from what he read but there was definitely some supernatural element involved. There was an itch inside his gut that clawed and scratched at him, urging him to go check it out. 

His instincts had never failed him before and he was willing to bet it would not fail him now. Dean always listened to his intuition. 

But Dean could see the doubt written all over Anna’s face as he started up the car. However, she didn't say anything. Instead, Anna sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window, ignoring him entirely. After a minute of the car not moving from the bunker, Anna sent him a confused glance.

“Look, Anna. I know I sort of popped this one out of nowhere.” Dean said softly. “I want Lucifer out of the picture as much as you do and this clue might seem a bit random but I have a weird feeling about it. Also, I might have someone that can help us find Kelly.”

Anna only frowned before nodding silently. Dean grabbed his phone and went to his contact list and scrolled down to the name he was searching for. When the ringing started, Dean began driving his car down the road. 

“Dean!” A cheerful voice chirped. “It’s been so long! Is there something I can do for you?”

The eager tone had Dean smiling slightly. He missed the jubilant, lively attitude that Charlie conveyed. She was like the little sister Dean had never wanted. He regretted the fact that he hadn’t contacted her much since her near death experience with the Styne bastard, especially after Sam died. 

Both Dean and Sam came to the decision after the incident that they didn’t want to put Charlie in any more danger. So that meant limited communication with her. Charlie wasn’t pleased to hear so at all but she was helpless to change their choice.

“Charlie, I need a little help on tracking someone down. Are you down for it?”

At the name, Anna perked up slightly, staring at Dean with wide, interested eyes. She must’ve known the assistance Charlie would’ve been able to provide. Charlie was a little tech genius after all. Dean had to admit that if Anna weren’t here, Charlie probably wouldn’t be in this world today. 

It was fortunate that Anna had connections to angels that were able to help. 

“Hell yeah! I thought you would never ask for my lovely aid again.” Charlie exclaimed loudly before laughing lightly. “It’s been forever since you called me for some Winchester butt-kicking action. I’m in!” 

Charlie’s enthusiastic words had Dean chuckling in amusement as he drove down the road past the never-ending fields. But his chuckles stopped dead when Charlie turned serious.

“Why haven’t you called me before?” Her accusatory voice rang loudly in his ear and he couldn’t help but wince. “You know I’m always ready to help you, Dean.”

“I know and I’m sorry.” Dean apologized but he knew his apology wasn’t going to fix his past actions. Charlie deserved much better than him. “But I’m here now and I need your help. We all do.” 

There was a huge sigh but she quickly bounced back to her lively attitude. 

“So what can I do for you?” 

“I need you to do two things for me. There’s this strange case about a possible cursed object that is happening in a home at Wichita, Kansas, and I want to know more about where the home containing the object is. The drive from the bunker to the city is about three hours but if I speed it, I can most likely make it in two hours.”

“Do you know the name of the owner that has the object?” Charlie asked as the sound of typing filled his ears. Dean furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he tried to recall the name of the woman. 

“Jane, I think? There wasn’t a last name in the article.” Dean informed Charlie as she continued typing. There wasn’t a response from her so he focused on driving while waiting for a reply.

The article didn’t hold much information. Instead, the news was quite short with about three paragraphs and only described the reasons why the object held powers. It was also posted on a website focused more on the supernatural. The part that caught his interest was the picture of the “mystifying” object. 

It was a statue of a horned owl with shiny blue eyes that was perched on a branch with its wings wide open. The eyes reminded Dean deeply of his dreams with the blue-eyes angel. Making the decision to find the statue was all on a risky whim.

There might not be anything important about the stoned owl but it was a gamble Dean was willing to take. 

“I found an address and the woman’s full name.” Charlie broke Dean’s thoughts with her voice. “Her name is Jane Novak. I’m sending you a text of Jane’s address right now.”

“Thanks Charlie. I appreciate it.” Dean said gratefully. He couldn’t imagine how much more time they’d be working if Charlie wasn’t here to help. 

“No problemo.” Charlie replied in a lightful tone. “So what’s the other case you need help on? Seeing as I helped you on one thing already and you mentioned  _ two  _ things. Is it bigger that this one because from what I read from researching, it doesn’t seem to be a huge thing at all. This “ _ cursed”  _ object seems rather harmless.”

“It’s nothing big but it _ is  _ important. For this second situation, I’m going to have you call my mom about it. She knows about as much as me about it. We’re searching for a woman called Kelly Kline. I’ll send you her number and she can fill you in with the details. I’m sure she’ll be happy to provide you answers.”

Mary would appreciate the aid of another person in their search for the nephilim. Dean was certain that his mom would take a liking to Charlie. After all, Charlie is a very likeable person. 

“Wait, your mom as in Mary Winchester!?” Charlie sounded startled at the news and continued speaking in awe. Her words were uttered quickly in her excitement. “You  _ have  _ to tell me how that happened! I thought your mom was  _ dead _ !”

“Well yeah, she’s back. I’ll save that story for another day but right now I need you to assist my mom the best you can. She’s going to need all the help she can get. I trust you to deal with it the best you can.” 

“Of course, Dean. Anything to help but you better call me after this whole ordeal is over. I want to hear the whole story, okay?” 

Dean smiled warmly, despite the fact that Charlie wouldn’t be able to see it. She never failed to put him in a good mood, even when danger was approaching. It was a shame they didn’t talk much these days but Dean was at fault for that. He was firm on his decision to not put Charlie in any more risk.

“I promise.” 

After saying their goodbyes, Dean immediately went through his messages to send his mom a text while flickering his gaze between the phone and the road. He informed her that a friend was going to help her on her search before going to his texts with Charlie. Dean sent her Mary’s number. Then, he processed the address that Charlie delivered to him. 

“I assume that Charlie was able to aid you greatly.” 

Dean startled at the faint, sudden voice, gripping the wheel tighter in surprise, as his eyes jerked to Anna. He had forgotten all about her in his conversation with Charlie. Anna had been as silent as the dead and she had not moved at all. Her hazel eyes assessed him attentively and she stared at Dean in interest.

“Yeah.” Dean swallowed, moving his eyes from Anna’s figure back to the road. He didn’t look at her much these days. It was always strange to keep his gaze on her, knowing that it was her body that murdered Sam. “I got the address so it won’t take us long to get there. After we learn more about the object, we can start heading back to bunker and hear more about what was discovered about Kelly’s whereabouts.”

“Okay.” That was all Anna had said before falling quiet again. Dean drove in the stillness for a minute before he wasn’t able to handle it. He flicked on his rock music and turned up the volume. 

Despite the loud songs blasting through the speakers, there was an uncomfortable atmosphere between the two. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well thaaaanks, i guess, at the anon that commented on my recent story to demand for an update to this story. well its fine because it did make me look back at my drafts and i had this unfinished draft of the next chapter thats over 6000 words. i wasn't finished with the last scene of the chapter so i decided to scrap that out and post what i DID have. 
> 
> as for any future updates? it may or may not happen depending on how inspired i am to continue writing this story. i still watch the show and i can't wait for season 14 but im not really in the whole fandom anymore. also, any inspiration i have for writing is sort of down the drain so im struggling to write anything. 
> 
> also hey, charlie is in this story! i almost forgot why i had her included because she's dead but im assuming that in this "timeline", she's alive because of anna just like how sam is dead because of anna. minor changes ya see. 
> 
> But anyways, thanks for the people who commented on the story that I haven't responded to. It was always nice to read comments of this story even though I haven't been writing for this story. Until next time, maybe? :')
> 
> (also i haven't proofread over this chapter. hell i haven't touched in an entire year so there's bound to be mistakes so im sorry for that)


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